


When The Rain Falls

by ShanleenKinnJaskey



Category: Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
Genre: AU, CRASHING A WEDDING!, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I'm Sorry, post-Goliath
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-08
Updated: 2014-11-28
Packaged: 2018-02-24 15:29:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2586545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShanleenKinnJaskey/pseuds/ShanleenKinnJaskey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Alek chooses the throne over Deryn, she has the feeling that something's off- and ends up spending the next three years on missions from the Society, getting visions of her and Alek doing the exact same thing. So when Dr. Barlow and her are invited to Austria-Hungary for a wedding she accepts readily, setting her off on a journey that ends with her crashing Alek's wedding.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fleeting Memories

_"Goodbye brown eyes_

_Goodbye for now_

_Goodbye sunshine_

_Take care of yourself..."_

_-Avril Lavigne_

 

 

**1918**

**Vienna, Austria**

The priest droned on, and while Alek stood there before the altar, staring at his betrothed, Princess Evalina Feliciana, he thought about how he'd gotten to this point, trying to figure out why something felt like it was missing, why something wasn't quite right.

He suspected it had all started the night he'd left Deryn Sharp forever in exchange for the throne of Austria-Hungary. He'd tried to force himself to forget the daring airgirl, but he hadn't been able to. He wasn't surprised to find himself thinking about her now, during what was arguably the most important moment of his life.

**1914**

**Aboard His Majesty's Airship Leviathan, Somewhere Above New York**

_He pulled something from his pocket, and as Deryn saw it, her heart sank. It was the leather scroll case, the one with the pope's letter inside. She'd forgotten for a single, absurd moment that Alek was an emperor-in-waiting and that she was as common as dirt._

_"Tricky," Bovril said._

_"Of course." Deryn dropped her gaze, stepping back from his embrace. "No one's going to write me a letter to turn me royal, are they? And I'd hardly make a proper princess, even if the pope himself sewed me a dress. This is all ridiculous."_

_(Goliath, p531-532)_

Deryn watched Alek, taking in every aspect of him, from the medal on his chest to his glittering green eyes to his straight, regal posture. She loved him, and thanks to their oath, and her kiss, he knew it, but what would he choose to do? Everything had come down to this: was he willing to sacrifice the throne for her?

His eyes connected with hers, and at first she was hopeful as she saw him weighing his options. Then hardness filled his eyes, making her stomach drop like a Huxley that had picked up a chest of lead. "Yes, it is. I'm sorry, Deryn, but my country needs me," he said, meeting her disbelieving gaze. _No,_ she thought, _this can't be happening_. He stuck out a hand for her to shake. "I hope we can still be friends. You're a great ally, Deryn Sharp."

A lump fast-growing in her throat, Deryn shook his hand. "Aye, your princeliness," she said. Suddenly, for a single second, she was assaulted with a barrage of images of how things could have been- the feeling of his lips on hers, the sound of the scroll case splashing into the water below, the hysterical image of Alek in a dress. Her shock and sorrow kept her from laughing.

 _That's barking strange,_ she thought as sadness pulled at her heart. Something felt off about this whole scene, and it wasn't just because she wanted him to love her back. She could have handled that- she wasn't sure how, but she knew she would have eventually gotten over it. It was more the sense of foreboding as her hand slipped out of Alek's, the hard, detached look in his eyes as they parted. It was like he was forcing himself not to care, to feel nothing.

"Good luck, Deryn Sharp," Alek said as he turned to head back down the taglines. It felt like he was tearing her in two, taking a piece of her heart as he went. She wasn't over him yet.

"Good luck, Prince Aleksander of Hohenburg," she replied, barely managing to get the words out, "And good-bye."


	2. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deryn and Alek have both been having strange dreams about an alternate present...

_"If they give you ruled paper,_

_Write the other way."_

_-Juan Ramon Jimenez_

**December, 1917**

**212 Baker Street, London England**

**The Barlow Residence (and Sharp)**

 

Deryn returned from yet another costume party and fell onto the sofa. She was exhausted from being so 'diplomatic' and having one of those _feelings_ of hers, where she got a vision of her and Alek, accompanied by a general sense that something was off. The time it was the image of her in a fashionable American dress and Alek wearing that frumpy Victorian dress she'd dreamed him in before, with Bovril on the table next to him in its own dress.

And they were kissing.

She sighed. Barking spiders, her _feelings_ were getting weirder and weirder, and they were all focused on ALEK. He'd probably forgotten her, though. His grandfather had died a few months ago, and Alek's first action as emperor had been to orchestrate peace with Britain. He had known that his fellow countrymen were outnumbered, and plus, Alek respected the British.

Well, Deryn amended, he respected the British coffins and politicians. Certain British commoners and his promises to them, not so much. Okay, so maybe he'd kept his oath to keep her secrets, but he'd also promised to keep her as his ally, and he hadn't contacted her since that last goodbye aboard the Leviathan.

"Mister Sharp," she heard Dr. Barlow call from downstairs, "I need your help. We have a special visitor."

She slowly got up from the chair she'd fallen into, her lower abdominal aching. She'd started her monthlies last year, and Dr. Barlow had given her a strange little pill made out of the life strands of a couple of beasties that stopped the bleeding. She took one every month, but the pill still had aches and cramps as side effects. She hated this time of month; she was more moody as well.

 

**Vienna, Austria**

 

Contrary to what Deryn was thinking, Alek did remember. And inwardly he'd been suffering ever since he'd left Deryn on top of the Leviathan. He sat in his chair, which was outfitted with walker legs like the ones on Nene's bed in Istanbul, and stared out the window as a light rain came down outside. Even though he was the ruler of a powerful country and had everything he could ever want, there was a hole in his heart.

He rested his head in his palm, his head throbbing. He never would have admitted it to anyone (even Volger) but lately his dreams had all been about one girl, and it wasn't Evalina, his betrothed. He dreamed of Deryn Sharp. Sometimes he dreamed of things that had actually happened, like when she kissed him during the storm over the Pacific, and sometimes he dreamed of things that didn't, like him pulling Deryn in at a costume party and kissing passionately.

And then there was the one dream he couldn't get rid of- the one where he threw the papal scroll case over the edge of the Leviathan, trading his life as emperor for a life with Deryn Sharp.

He heard a knock on the door. "Come in, Volger," he said. It could be no one else at this time of night.

The door creaked open. "Hello, Aleksander," Volger said. Alek smiled, knowing his face was hidden by shadows. It had taken forever to get Volger to stop calling Alek 'Your Serene Highness' when it was just the two of them. Then Volger shocked him. "Been having any bad dreams lately?"

Alek flipped the handle on the side of his chair, and the mechanical legs of the chair turned him around. "How'd you know about that?" He asked accusingly.

"You've been coming into work with dark circles under your eyes for the past few weeks," Volger explained. Alek was touched to hear a note of concern in Volger's voice.


	3. The Leviathan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deryn and Dr. Barlow receive a visitor, who ends up being an old friend with surprising news...

  _"Love recognizes no barriers._

_It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."_

_-Maya Angelou_

 

**212 Baker Street, London, England**

 

Deryn reached the downstairs to find Dr. Barlow talking to a familiar person in Clanker-talk.

"Master Klopp!" Deryn cried in German, making sure to keep her voice low, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Hello, Dylan," he said, "I was just talking to Dr. Barlow about how Count Volger invited Bauer, Hoffman, and I to the wedding in Vienna. He said he'd pay for everything, travel and all, as long as I stopped by here and invited Dr. Barlow along. Though interestingly enough, the Count said that Dr. Barlow could bring a plus one. Maybe he remembered that you had joined her as an assistant."

Dr. Barlow turned to Deryn. "The Count made arrangements with the British government so that we could ride a very special airship, Mr. Sharp." she smiled slyly, "I'm betting you can't guess which one."

Deryn's breath caught in her throat as the memories of that last day aboard the leviathan, the most awful and brilliant day of her life, shot through her brain. The perfect, hopeful beginning, and the horrible, heart-wrenching end. If she went with Dr. Barlow to Vienna, then she would get to see Alek. It wouldn't matter if he didn't remember her, as long as she got to see him. "The Leviathan," Deryn answered Dr. Barlow's question, then mentally slapped herself. She thought she'd gotten over Alek, but if she really had, then why was she having such thoughts about him?

Well, one thing was for sure. Though Volger may have been a bum-rag, he definitely came through when it counted.

 

**His Majesty's Airfield, Cardiff, Wales**

 

She climbed aboard the Leviathan, handing Dr. Barlow's bags to a waiting middy. She smiled, remembering her days aboard the magnificent airboat. The flying, the fighting, the knots, and messing around with Newkirk- she missed it all. For a moment she wondered what had happened to her fellow midshipman, but her thoughts were interrupted by Dr. Barlow.

"Mr. Sharp!" Dr. Barlow called, "Please bring Tazza around!"

Deryn sighed, annoyed. "Barking spiders, she's annoying," she muttered, but the corners of her lips curled upwards nonetheless. Dr. Barlow's bossiness had become more endearing than irritating over the past couple of years. She gripped Tazza's leash tightly and followed Dr. Barlow to their cabins.

As she walked through the corridors the warm smells of the air beastie surrounded her, cocooning her. It felt comfortable, almost like a home away from home. She realized that she'd missed the airboat home more than she'd thought. 


	4. Lunch With the Emperor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alek gets a surprise when Deryn and Dr. Barlow end up being his mysterious guests...

_"Here's to us_

_Here's to love_

_All the times_

_That we fucked up_

_Here's to you_

_Fill the glass_

_Cause the last few days_

_Have kicked my ass_

_So let's give em hell_

_Wish everybody well..."_

_-Halestorm_ , Here's To Us

 

**A Few Days Later**

**Vienna, Austria**

 

Volger entered the room Alek had been dining in with Lady Maud Harrington, third in line to the British throne, and Princess Evalina Feliciana, heir apparent to the Italian throne. "Our guests from Britain are here, Your Serene Highness," Volger said. "Should I tell the servants to send them in?"

Alek turned to the two girls. "You two wouldn't mind that, would you?" He asked. They shook their heads. "Send them in, Count," Alek replied to Volger.

Volger nodded, then bowed and left. Alek and the two girls finished lunch, and then a few minutes later the door opened again. "Hello, Your Serene Highness," A feminine British voice said. Alek froze, his eyes flying wide open. He hadn't head that voice in years.

"Oh, look," A rough but familiar voice said, "The daft prince having tea with some girlies. Isn't that a sight to see."

Bovril, who had been perched atop his chair, said, "Barking spiders."

Alek dropped his spoon, and soup in his bowl sloshed around, splashing onto his plate. He spun around to find Deryn Sharp with a smirk on her face. His breath caught in his throat. In her elegantly cut crème Italian suit she looked fantastic, whether you thought of her as a boy or a girl. Her features were sharp and angular, with high cheekbones and bright eyes. She had barely changed except in her height, but then he caught a glimpse of her eyes. They looked decades older, holding a wisdom and sorrow he couldn't quite describe.

"Hello, Emperor Alek," She said, with a twinkle in her eye.

He stood up, pushing back his chair. "Dylan Sharp, it's been far too long. Welcome to Vienna." He reached out his hand for her to shake, and as she took it he experienced a vivid vision stronger than any dream he'd ever had. It was the picture of the two of them at the altar, her in a ragged dress and him in a fancy suit stained at the chest. He stumbled back with the force of the vision, his hand slipping out of hers. The vision abruptly cut off as they ceased touching. He looked up and saw Deryn breathing hard, her face pale as if she'd been slammed in the gut by a walker.

Deryn turned to the girls, wiping the shocked look off of her face. "And who might these two lovely ladies be?" she said. Alek took note of their expressions, their opinions of Deryn. Evalina smiled- Deryn did make a dashing boy- but then Alek caught Maud's split second expression of utter disgust that was quickly replaced by a look of polite acknowledgement.

Alek quickly introduced the two young women to Deryn, and then turned around to face the girls. "This is Dylan Sharp, an old friend of mine from during the war," He said to the two girls. Then he was about to put a hand on Deryn's shoulder and steer her to a seat when he remembered what had happened the last time he touched her and stopped. "Here, Dylan," he said, pointing to the chair across from him, "Why don't you and Dr. Barlow sit down?"

"Aye, your princeliness," Deryn replied, and then pulled out a chair for Dr. Barlow. "Doctor?" She gestured for the boffin to take a seat.

"Much obliged, young sir," Dr. Barlow responded, then took her seat. After making sure she was well situated, Deryn took her own seat.

"He has decent enough manners for a _commoner_ ," Alek heard Maud mutter to herself, though loud enough for Deryn and Alek to hear. He saw Deryn flinch out of the corner of his eye, then finished sitting down, smiling as if nothing had happened.

Then they all resumed eating, no one but Alek and Deryn seeming to notice the air of animosity between them. They exchanged a glance, silently agreeing to stay after the impromptu luncheon, and then continued on like nothing had happened.


	5. Chapter 5

_"Don't lose who you are, in the blur of the stars_

_Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing_

_It's okay not to be okay_

_Sometimes it's hard, to follow your heart_

_But tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising..."_

_-Jessie J_ , Who You Are

 

When they had finished eating, Alek stood up and thanked everyone for eating with him. The rest of his guests followed suit, getting up. Alek turned to Evalina and Maud. "You go on ahead, ladies. I would like to catch up with my good friend Dylan."

Evalina smiled at Deryn and continued on, but Deryn caught a flash of jealousy cross Maud's face before she turned and followed Evalina. It only lasted a second, but it convinced Deryn that she didn't like the girl.

"I'll return for you in an hour, Mr. Sharp," Dr. Barlow said, then turned to Count Volger. "Would you mind giving me a tour of the palace, Wildcount?"

Deryn and Alek looked at each other and rolled their eyes. For Dr. Barlow and Count Volger this was tantamount to flirting. For a moment it was like no time had passed, that there wasn't a rift between them, but then Deryn remembered how he had ditched her for the throne and looked away. A sense of loss clutched at her heart.

"Of course, Dr. Barlow," Volger said, holding his elbow out for her to take. She accepted his offer and they walked off out the doors and into the hallway.

Alek turned around. "Well, Deryn, how have you-" He was cut off by Deryn slapping him in the face. His hand flew up to his cheek and he stared at her in shock. "What was that about?" He sputtered incredulously.

She was breathing hard, her cheeks hot and her fists clenched at her sides. "How dare you, you daft prince!" She hissed, "How dare you break your promises, leave me, and then not speak to me for two barking years! You said that you wanted to stay friends, that I was a  _useful ally,_ but then you went and clean forgot about me. You  _dummkopf-_ how could you break your promises like that?"

She watched, furious, as a million emotions flew across Alek's face, each as fleeting as a draft of wind that buoyed glider wings. Then his face hardened, but unlike that terrible day aboard the Leviathan his eyes remained moist, as if he was about to cry. "I had to do it, Deryn. My country needed a leader." His voice trembled, no longer confident and self-assured. Her anger began to filter away, replaced by the urge to wrap him up in her arms and comfort him. At sixteen he had had to worry about the fate of his country, and now at nineteen he carried the weight of the souls of millions on his shoulders.

She wasn't sure what to say, but then Bovril chimed in, "Emperors are vain and useless things." They both stared at the beastie, astonished that it still remembered that conversation with the Mexican general after so long.

Deryn looked at Alek, who was beginning to look very conflicted. "He's right, you know," She said quietly, "But if I always thought you would be the exception." She nearly choked on her words as she realized that she was merely encouraging him to stay in office as emperor. Once again she found what she wanted- to be with Alek- nearly impossible.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, and reluctantly changed the subject. "Master Klopp said that we were coming for a wedding of an important aristocrat. Who was he talking about?"

Alek arched an eyebrow. "You don't know?" He asked, sounding a bit surprised, "I'm to be married to Princess Evalina next weekend."

Deryn reeled back, feeling as if a mammothine had head-butted her in the stomach. " _WHAT?_ " She cried, "You're getting _married_?"

"For my country's sake. We need strong allies, and Italy is quite a good one. As my family has always said," He slipped into boffin talk, " _Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria, nube_." Then he turned to Deryn. "Though I didn't originally realize you were coming, I'm glad you're here. I want my best friend to be at my wedding."

The  _dummkopf_ didn't realize that his words were like a knife to Deryn's heart. "Aye, your princeliness," She replied, a lump forming in her throat. Then she turned to leave.

"Deryn, would you mind joining Evalina, Maud, and I for dinner?" Alek asked in what Deryn thought was a slightly desperate tone of voice. No, she was just imagining it.

"Of course, your princeliness," She replied without looking back, then continued out the door and left.

 

Alek fell back into his chair and let his tears fall freely. He'd almost managed to convince himself the Deryn had forgotten about him, that they'd never really loved each other, but her outburst had shaken him.

"Deryn still loves me," He said to himself, "But I have to marry Evalina."

"You daft prince," Bovril said from its perch on the back of Alek's chair. Alek flinched at Bovril's use of Deryn's term of endearment.

He rested his head in his hands, thoughts tearing through his head in a wild torrent. He'd forced himself to forget Deryn for two major reasons: One, if he married a commoner it would cast a mark against his legitimacy that he couldn't afford, and two, that if Deryn married him she'd be a target for assassinations just like he was.

Alek rolled up his sleeve, looking at the still-fading scar from the latest assassin's knife. He'd killed the assassin before he could finish the job and Volger had managed to get him to the hospital before he bled to death, but he knew his life could end any day now. He didn't want to put Deryn in harm's way, though he was pretty sure she would probably just laugh in the face of danger. The corners of his lips curled upward against his will at the thought.


	6. He Loves Me Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NOT DONE YET!

_"I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone._

_It's not._

_The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone."_

_-Robin Williams_

 

She heard someone talking in hushed, quick voices up ahead and slowed down. It was a male voice and a familiar female voice- Maud! She ducked behind one of the palace's heavy velvet curtains.

"He's falling for it, Lloyd," Maud whispered, and Deryn heard the sounds of kissing. Deryn took a moment to wonder what Maud was to Alek- all she knew was that she was his guest. Was she a friend, a relative, a lover?

"Good," The man-Lloyd- said, "Just a few more days and he'll marry Evalina. Once that's over we can dispose of him."

Deryn gasped. They were planning to kill Alek? After all he'd done for the country?

The whispers stopped. "What was that?" Lloyd whisper-shouted.

"Probably just a mouse," Maud said, dismissing the sound, "But you should leave anyway. I'll contact you via telegraph when we're ready." One more kiss, and Deryn heard the sound of footsteps leaving.

After he got far enough away, Deryn slipped out of her hiding spot and ran off around the corner, trying to keep her thoughts from showing on her face. She made it a bit beyond Maud, who was standing there like a statue. Then Maud spoke, and Deryn stopped.

"I bet you enjoy having Alek welcome you to the court, Mr. Sharp," Maud whispered, "But he'll never change you. You'll always be a commoner while he's an emperor." Deryn realzied that not every part of Maud's disguise was fake- Maud really did hate Deryn. Maud continued, "He'll never look at you twice once he's married. He's merely indulging an old friend."

 _That's funny_ , Deryn wanted to say, _but I think I know Prince Aleksandar of Hohenburg better than you do_. But she didn't respond- she just stood there, accepting abuse, though she was literally shaking with anger. She knew that if she tried to speak her voice would get more than a squick screechy.

Then Maud walked off. Deryn could feel her smugness from a mile away. "Have a nice day, Mr. Sharp," she said.

Deryn didn't waste a moment. She headed straight back to the dining room. No matter how much she was frustrated with Alek because he was marrying another woman she didn't want him to get hurt, and from the sound of the conversation she had heard people were planning on killing him.

 

Alek stared at her, absorbing the story she had just told him. "So you say that Maud is plotting to assassinate me, correct?" He asked. She nearly smiled. He believed her, still trusting her even after all these years apart. Then he fixed her with a disappointed look, and her stomach dropped. "And why should I believe you, _Mr_. Sharp?"

"Because I'm trying to save your barking life, Alek!" She cried. She couldn't believe it- he _had_ changed! "These last couple of years have turned you into a blethering idiot!" She shouted, and then slammed her hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe she'd just said that aloud.

He turned to her, an angry fire blazing in his eyes. "I can always count on you to be opinionated, Deryn Sharp," he said, a sting in his voice.

At least he wasn't cutting himself off anymore, hiding his true emotions behind a stone façade. "You can also count on me to tell the truth, you _dummkopf_!" She retorted.

"Not anymore, Deryn. I can't believe you'd let your jealousy get in the way of diplomacy. You were never that type of girl before- I guess you've changed. To teach you a lesson in chivalry (apparently you need one), you will be eating with Maud tonight, and you will apologize for your unfounded accusations."

Clart! Deryn gaped at Alek. "You've changed as well, _your Highness_ ," she said through gritted teeth as she turned and left, near tears, "You were never that much of a harsh bumrag before."

 

As soon as Deryn left Alek slid down the wall to the floor, ending up with his knees pulled up to his chest. He buried his head in his knees, trying not to sob. He _had_ believed her, but he had to push her away, to get him to hate him. If she didn't love him she wouldn't come back, and it would be easier to forget the magnificent airwoman who had changed his life.

But at this moment, now that Deryn had left, Alek found himself wanting to take it all back. He wanted to run after Deryn and kiss her, to call off his betrothal to Evalina and marry Deryn instead.

But he couldn't- for the same reasons as always.

Bovril crawled down from his head onto his shoulder and nuzzled its head against the side of his neck.

Alek looked up at Bovril. "At least you always agree with me," Alek said.

Bovril chuckled. "A bit tricky, you daft prince," It said.

He gave it a wry smile and patted it on the head. "You're right, Bovril, it's all 'a bit tricky'."


End file.
